Crock c. 1938

Nicholas Amantea made this drawing of a crock with what looks like pencil and watercolor, but it’s the way he's used those humble materials that sings. It's like he’s taken something ordinary and lifted it into the realm of the iconic, with that unassuming touch. Look at the flowers on the side of the crock. The way Amantea renders them, they almost float there on the surface. Each petal is suggested with such economy of line, and then filled with this dreamy wash of blue. It's not about realism; it’s about essence. There’s something about the simplicity here, the quiet confidence, that reminds me of Morandi, another master of the understated. Like Morandi, Amantea shows us that you don’t need much to say a lot. It’s all about seeing, and feeling, and then trusting the mark you make. Art, at its best, is a conversation, an echo through time.